| The St. John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | SJAB |
| Motto | Pro fide Pro utilitate hominum (Latin: for the faith and in the service of humanity) |
| Formation | 1903 |
| Type | Charitable organisation |
| Headquarters | Lumsden House, 29 Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4 |
| Location | Republic of Ireland |
| Commissioner | Prof. Patrick K. Plunkett |
| Affiliations | St. John Ambulance |
| Website | http://www.stjohn.ie/ |
The St. John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland (SJAB) is a charitable voluntary organisation in the Republic of Ireland. For constitutional reasons it is not a full member association of the Venerable Order of Saint John and the international St. John Ambulance movement, but rather is classed as an "associated body".[1][2] The Brigade is dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid. It is engaged in first aid training to the public, providing first aid and ambulance cover at public events, patient transport and community services.
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The Brigade's current Commissioner is Prof. Patrick Plunkett. The Commissioner is assisted by a Deputy Commissioner, a Chief Superintendent and several Assistant Commissioners, as well as dozens of staff and district Officers.
The Chairman of the Council of the St John Ambulance Brigade Of Ireland, and President of the Brigade, is Mr. Clive Martin.
The first division in Ireland was formed in 1903 at the Guinness Brewery at St. James's Gate in Dublin by Dr. (later Sir) John Lumsden. In his post as Medical Officer for Guinness, Dr. Lumsden was asked to provide first-aid classes for employees at the brewery; these classes became so popular that it was felt appropriate to establish a dedicated unit of the London-based St John Ambulance Brigade at the brewery (St James' Gate Division), the first such unit in Ireland.[3] In 1905 the City of Dublin Division was formed, the first unit open to the public for membership. In 1909, women were allowed to join the ranks with the formation of the first nursing division.
The Brigade was involved with many major events in Irish history, including treating casualties from the clashes during the 1913 Dublin Lockout. In 1914 many members served together with Red Cross volunteers in the First World War as part of the Voluntary Aid Detachment, providing auxiliary medical aid for those injured in combat.
However, the Brigade became prominent in Dublin during the Easter Rising of 1916 where it treated casualties on both sides and fed and cared for evacuees.[4] Working with Dr. Lumsden during the Easter Rising was Dr. Ella Webb who had joined the Brigade in 1914. She helped to set up an emergency hospital at the Brigade’s headquarters at 14 Merrion Square during the Rising and “cycled daily through the firing line to visit the hospital” [5] For these acts, and his role in establishing the St. John Ambulance Brigade in Ireland, Lumsden was knighted as KBE by George V.[4] At the same time Dr. Ella Webb was awarded an MBE for her work.[5]
Lumsden also encouraged Brigade members to be blood donors and advertised in the Irish national papers for people to register in order to set up an 'on call' blood donor panel to serve hospitals in the Dublin area. The service later became the National Blood Transfusion Association in 1948 but owes its origin to the Brigade and more especially to Sir John Lumsden.[6][7]
In 1922 the Irish Civil War caused the Brigade to go into the front line to help both sides. The following year, the first Cadet division (for those aged between 10 and 17) was formed.
In 1923, after the establishment of the Irish Free State, Lumsden wrote to the President of the Council of the Irish Free State to start the process of breaking the Brigade away from the control of the Brigade in London, and from the British Red Cross Society.[8] This led to the Brigade becoming an associated body in its own right, being renamed the St. John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland, and becoming completely independent from the Brigade in England. Moves after 1923 further led to the formation of the Irish Red Cross Society in 1939.[9] Lumsden was one of the first members of the Irish Red Cross.
Ranks within the St. John Ambulance Brigade are defined[10] as:
Adult ranks:
Cadet Adult Ranks (i.e., adults in charge of cadet divisions):
Cadet ranks (ages 11–17):
Rank insignia are worn on rank slides placed on the epaulettes. These are black for ordinary members, red for doctors, grey for nurses, and green for PHECC registered practitioners.
There have been five Commissioners since 1903:
The uniform is nearly identical to the English uniform, although there are some differences. Instead of county emblems, Irish Brigade members wear a Brigade Emblem (a green shamrock) under their shoulder flash; this emblem is not received until they have two years' service.
The current uniform consists of the following:
Cadets wear black berets instead of caps and hats and have their own breast badge and shoulder flash.
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